the telematics control unit – the electronics and software that allow a vehicle’s location to be tracked

the central gateway module – the information bridge that controls the flow of data between the vehicle’s various electrical components

The researchers are holding back their full findings until 2019, to give BMW more time to tackle the problems.

But they described one scenario in which a rouge mobile data transmitter could be used to exploit vulnerabilities in the infotainment and telematics parts.

“Technically speaking, it’s possible to launch the attack from hundreds of metres, even when the car is in the driving mode,” they wrote, adding that attackers could then create “backdoors” to inject diagnostic messages that could in turn affect the driver’s control.

Several models of BMW cars are said to be affected, including at least some of its i, X, 3, 5 and 7 Series designs.